Crystal
Crystal is a close friend of Rose Johannson and a supporting character in the 2014 novel The X-Children: Where Are You Now? and a major character in the 2015 sequel The X-Children: The Return of the Verasect. She makes a comeback in the 2019 novel Boys vs. Girls 2 Prelude. Background Crystal was born on December 7, weighing only twenty-two ounces at birth. Her childhood, which she spent with a brother named Hunter who tormented her, was rough and unfulfilling. Her mother lived in Virginia, so she lived with her father instead. She never received parts of her education, and as such, she never learned how to read very well. Because of her birthday, Crystal was held back in junior high. Physical appearance Crystal was a strong yet very slim teenager with an average height. Crystal has fair, but slightly tanned skin, caramel-colored hair, and dark brown eyes. When she was born, she only weighed twenty-two ounces, and as a teenager she was very thin. She considered her appearance to be unconventional. Personality Crystal was a woman with uncertain motives and ambitions. She was exceptionally intelligent and capable of befriending peers others would consider difficult to get on the good side of. She was even able to fool Rose Johannson into thinking she was one of her most loyal friends, although she once was, when in reality she was disgusted by her desire to make herself popular by making herself look close to Master Intelligence. A prime example of her cunning is when she left her glasses at Stanley's house on purpose, to give her an excuse to return. Crystal's intelligence also made her clear-eyed, as she was not fooled by Stanley's antics, such as when he turned off the light at the last second in a pathetic attempt to hide his presence, and again when he flattered her to get her to divulge Tori Newell's whereabouts, putting her on the same wavelength as Master Intelligence himself. In the end, Crystal simply wanted to do what was right, no matter what. She later admitted that Master Intelligence, who like her was morally bound to always do the right thing, had been a strong influence on her. He considered her to be acutely aware of the price of her actions. Despite initially garnering understandable suspicion, she was actually very compassionate, tolerant, understanding, and level-headed. Crystal was also strong-willed and lively. An extrovert, she enjoyed spending time with other people. In spite of what she'd been through, she managed to retain an ability to see the good in almost everybody and was extremely forgiving and tolerant. Out of all her friends, Crystal appeared to have the smallest ego, as well as being the least dishonest and arrogant. She was soft and always wanted to deal with evildoers in non-violent ways, even if her life were to be threatened, which was why Master Intelligence insisted she not join the Battle of the Tower of Reincarnation, because she perceived doing the right thing as. Curiously, however, she was enraged by anyone speaking of Rose in a malicious way, which made her a bit hypocritical. Crystal was able to see the good in almost everybody, though this also made her over-trusting and sentimental. However, she has also been accused of being obnoxious, first by Nicholas Phee and a second time by Charles. She appears to be more levelheaded and less sentimental than Rose Johannson, though she is still very close with the relatively childlike girl. Crystal is also known to smoke pot, though she is distasteful of the idea of doing drugs that are any worse, and looks down upon non-reproductive mating. Crystal also likened herself as a hippie, considering herself associated with a subculture involving a rejection of conventional values and the taking of hallucinogenic drugs. She wanted to become a better singer and was excited to learn Telekinibabe wanted to learn how to sing as well. Abilities *'Peak-Human Intelligence/Limited Charisma': Most of Crystal's abilities are based on knowledge and intelligence instead of physical strength. Her intelligence, combined with having a limited degree of charisma, allowed her to befriend peers others would consider difficult to get on the good side of, and even made her able to fool Rose Johannson into thinking she was one of her most loyal friends, although she once was, when in reality she was disgusted by her desire to make herself popular by making herself look close to Master Intelligence. A prime example of her cunning is when she deliberately left her glasses at Stanley's house, to give her an excuse to return. Crystal was also difficult to deceive, as she was not fooled by Stanley's antics, such as when he turned off the light at the last second in a pathetic attempt to hide his presence, and again when he flattered her to get her to divulge Tori Newell's whereabouts. *'Musical Competence': Crystal was also a good singer, as she enjoyed singing and may have taken music lessons in the past. *'Indomitable Willpower': Crystal possessed an indomitable willpower, enduring years of abuse but refusing to yield, and remaining pure of heart in spite of her suffering. Additionally, Crystal turned out to be capable of strong love and strove to see the good in everybody. It was clear that Crystal received limited assistance in her depression and her dyslexia. This incorruptible moral code made her stand out in stark contrast to the twisted Rose Johannson, who had endured similar experiences of longsuffering. Development Regards Crystal's appearance in Boys vs. Girls 2 Prelude, D. Isaac Thomas explained that he debated with a friend of his about introducing her earlier in the book or hold onto her introduction later, ultimately choosing the latter option because he felt that due to Crystal's antagonism towards Rose Johannson, it was more effective for her not be introduced earlier as it could have given away too soon that Johannson was not what she seemed. Appearances ''Boys vs. Girls 2 Prelude In January of 2013, Crystal began bonding with Rose Johannson, a popular yet shady girl she had met sometime prior. Johannson had crossed a line that rendered Carl Alex tired of her antics and she had lost her other close friend Charles to his own mother. The two began hanging out consistently and Johannson introduced her to some of her friends from Westridge Elementary School. On April 13, Crystal met Charles when he invited Johannson to the movies and the latter asked if she could bring Crystal over. Charles approved, and Leah said she could come over as long as she met up at Johannson's house. Charles picked her and Johannson up. He thought she seemed very familiar, but when he asked her she simply gave him a dismissive hand gesture. Crystal, Charles, and Leah questioned each other on the way. When he walked them inside, Charles gave Crystal a handshake that Johannson dissed as weak. Hours later, Crystal and Johannson were still hanging out. He asked if she was willing to text him Crystal's number as she was his new friend (with her permission, as he clearly cited). Crystal hung out with Johannson for several hours afterwards. On Sunday evening, Rose Johannson once again spoke to Charles on Crystal's behalf, asking if they could come over for dinner. They wound up making sandwiches and french fries. Suddenly, Johannson learned a friend of hers was contemplating suicide and Crystal, Charles, and Leah all offered their assistance. However, Johannson was confident she and Crystal could handle the situation alone. They drove them to Johannson's house, where Crystal gave Charles her number. Curiously, she does not appear again for the remainder of the book. The X-Children: Where Are You Now? Years after ''Prelude, Crystal was dating a boy named Nathan, but she eventually dumped him because he was growing increasingly unreliable. Crystal's ambition was to go to a college for minors and skip high school, which Master Intelligence, Baby Strength, and Red X would later protest. It is implied she already knew them before the latter joined the S.M.S.B. In 2031, she befriended Tori Newell. ''The X-Children: The Return of the Verasect Betraying Nurse Rose Crystal eventually ran away with several of her friends and set up camp, a process which included setting up the tent halfway. Before they finished, they agreed to finish carpooling. This included Rose demanding that Crystal stay behind while this happened, something which Crystal evidently chose not to question. They all hid out for the night. About twenty-four hours later, Rose childishly threatened Crystal by saying that if she did not smoke with her, they would no longer be friends. Rose also played a cruel trick on Crystal. She tricked her into smoking direct tar, a course that would kill a Fobble, by lying that what she was offering her was weed, resulting in Crystal coughing for several days afterwards. Crystal decided to report to Master Intelligence Rose's plan to exploit him. He convinced her that Rose was a narcissist. Extracting Tori Newell Crystal somehow found her way to a safehouse with Stanley, the boyfriend of Tori Newell, and several of the latter's gang-enrolling friends in Yonkers, New York. However, she came to suspect Tori Newell was on her way there. Seeing an opportunity to gain Master Intelligence's trust, she deliberately left her glasses behind to give her an excuse to return. Returning to New York City, she informed Master Intelligence of the situation, intending to compensate for supporting Rose. She joined Master Intelligence and Optica in traveling there to extract Newell. Master Intelligence realized they were in the right place when a light shut off, seemingly in response to their arrival. Crystal grew frightened when several gangsters moved to stop the trio, but Master Intelligence forced them to surrender, soothing Crystal's nerves to an extent. A short-lived romance In late July, Crystal finally became romantically involved with Lincoln. She learned Tori Newell had been taken to a "hospital", which was actually Canyon School. On July 31, Stanley called her asking for Newell's whereabouts. By August 4, Crystal broke up with Lincoln, as he was coming onto her too hardly and she did not consider herself ready for a romantic relationship. Over the next few days, she developed a desire to work at a coffee shop. Attacked by gangsters On August 13, Crystal fell asleep, where she was physically assaulted by Paul, one of Hunter's friends, and slapped on the cheek, bruising it. Crystal would later learn that Hunter had brought him there. Visiting the MBH The next day, Crystal visited with several of her friends, where she expressed horror when Lincoln told of the time in 2028 when he came to the defense of his sister Jenna, in contrast to an impressed Titanium Girl. He spent the majority of the afternoon with Master Intelligence and Crystal. Taking pity on their situation, Master Intelligence let them stay the night at the MBH, returning at 1:45 in the morning. Crystal greeted Baby Strength and Titanium Girl before discussing bedding arrangements with Master Intelligence. In the afternoon, Crystal's father told her that he was getting a job in another state and that he was not below putting her out on the street as a beggar. Distraught by this news, she took a nap. When she awoke, Master Intelligence told her there was a criminal attorney who could bring Paul to justice. When Lincoln asked if it was Master Intelligence's job, he denied it, claiming he would interfere if needs be, but not before the incident was out of the penal system's control. Crystal later demanded Hunter be taken to court. Master Intelligence supported this decision, claiming he was a bully who would keep bullying other people if no one stood up to him. Seeking employment Later that month, Crystal enrolled in a private school, though it is heavily implied that she was not consistent about daily attendance there. She had changed her mind about going to college early, as she felt that she needed the high school experience and could not read well. She did not visit the MBH frequently, though she still spent several nights there. When Tori Newell disappeared again in early September, an undisclosed individual divulged Crystal with valuable information about the situation that no one else received, something Tori's mother eventually became aware of. On October 2, Master Intelligence learned of this and interrogated her. However, Crystal was very uncooperative and provided no information when interrogated, and when Master Intelligence deduced she was trying to shut down the conversation, he in turn sent her out of the MBH for good to be left at the mercy of Hunter and her father, citing that she was welcome as soon as she saw fit to answer his questions "even if you wait until you're old and grey". Outside of the MBH, Crystal began trying to get a job, expecting her father's help in doing this. However, he was actually not very helpful at all. At the end of the month, she finally got a job as a pizza chef at a small restaurant down the street from her house. On October 31, Baby Strength wanted to go to Crystal's house and watch a Halloween movie, knowing her brothers would be gone. However, she was forced to decline at the last minute because of a "family emergency". Crystal's request The S.M.S.B. embarked to destroy the Tower of Reincarnation. Crystal wanted to join them, but Master Intelligence refused her assistance because her lover not a fighter principles would prevent her from taking appropriate action. Relationships Family Crystal did not have a good relationship with her brother, Hunter, at all. He frequently did drugs and he tormented her, sometimes for fun. Rose Johannson ]] Rose Johannson was a close friend to Crystal ever since the Winter Dance of 2012 at Tower Placement School. Crystal was enraged by anyone showing her the slightest disrespect, or by anyone disparaging her behind her back. In 2031, Crystal still admired her and became one of her closest friends. However, she had a love-hate relationship with Rose because the nurse treated her in a pretty typical way as most of her other peers, as she frequently tried to force her to commit lewd and vulgar acts. Rose trusted her enough to tell her of her desire to make herself popular by making herself look close to Master Intelligence, but this turned out to be a critical mistake. Crystal decided to report this to Master Intelligence, who convinced her that Rose was a narcissist. Curiously, she was still enraged by anyone speaking of her in a malicious way, which made her a bit hypocritical. She helped Master Intelligence in his attempts to expose Rose as a pedophile. Curiously, the two of them are almost entirely parallel opposites to each other. Where her hair is blonde, her hair is light brown, where her eye color is mysterious, her eyes are brown, where her nose is stubby, hers is slender in shape, where she is white and fleshy, she is pale and slim, where she is soft-bellied and tender, she is slender and physically able. Where she is commonly seen in T-shirts that always show her navel, she is seen commonly in a black jacket. Where she is hyperactive and emotionally unstable, she is levelheaded and sane. They are both, however, estimably five feet tall. Physical differences aside, where Crystal is selfless, Rose is self-centered, where Crystal is a loyal friend, Rose unmistakably uses people for her own ends, where Crystal is skilled at using a pistol, Rose cannot fight. Where she is protective of her virginity, she frequently sleeps with her peers and aspires to become a prostitute, where she is wary of artificial drugs, Rose uses them without shame or hesitation. Even their personal taste is different, and while Crystal's relationships are affectionate, Rose's are perverted, where she is careful who to trust, she will hang out with anyone who is sufficiently imperfect, where she has several brothers, she is an only child. Charles Master Intelligence , a friend.]] Crystal had a strong relationship with Master Intelligence. Initially, he distrusted her, though Crystal even admitted she didn't blame him. Eventually, he felt comfortable enough around her to trust her with some of his darkest secrets, and to vent to her his greatest fears, which she reciprocated on both fields. Crystal was infuriated when she learned that Nurse Rose wanted to exploit him. She helped Master Intelligence in his attempts to expose Rose as a pedophile. Trivia *Previously, on The Super Babies Wiki, Crystal's year of birth was calculated to be 2015 from her D.I.T. Website biography. However, in promotional footage for the upcoming novel Boys vs. Girls 2 Prelude, Rose and Crystal were presented as basically being a contemporary and Crystal met a younger version of a currently thirty-year-old Charles, so she couldn't have met Rose less than a decade before the Third NoHead War. Hence, Crystal's appearance in Prelude greatly upset certain fans and generated debates on the matter. Two theories include: **There is the possibility that there was another, older woman of the same name who met Johannson and Charles before the birth of the identical Crystal who appears in The X-Children books, although it would be unlikely that the two are related as Crystal is heavily implied to be her first name, not her surname. **Another possible theory is the idea of time travel, while not widely explored in the DLU, as Crystal may have traveled back three years before her birth to influence Johannson's actions at a young age. *Crystal is very similar to Carol Wilcox because they had very nearly identical personalities and they have extremely supportive, almost therapeutic roles in the life of Master Intelligence and his friends. Both of them are of European descent (Germany and Greece, respectively). References Category:2010s births Category:Characters Category:Females Category:Teenagers Category:D.I.T. characters Category:Characters based on real people Category:Heroines Category:Sequel characters Category:The Super Babies characters Category:Boys vs. Girls characters